Chia Seeds

Most of us are very motivated to live healthier lifestyles these days and rightfully so. With problems such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and allergies on the rise, it would be foolish not to. We are also very quick to jump on the band wagon when some new “super food” comes along. It’s easy to do when all we hear and read is how our food is poisoning us and making us sick. That being said we need to “KNOW OUR SUPER FOODS!”

Today’s topic is chia seeds. When I was growing up, they were only good for growing pets at Christmas time (Come on now, we all remember the commercials). So when the internet and airways became abuzz with how good these tiny seeds were for you, I got interested. I read that they were high in protein and fiber and, because I’m always looking for new sources of plant based protein for Matthew, I was eager to try them. There were no instructions on the bag so I just tossed some in to a batch of Matthew’s oatmeal. When his oatmeal became extremely thick, I decided to research them further. I found out that they absorb about 27 times their weight in water!

Dry chia seedsAfter 5 minutesAfter 15 minutes

So what’s the big deal? If the seeds aren’t soaked first, people like Mathew could end up with a blockage because the chia seeds adsorbed the water out of their digestive tract. So, before you add any new food to your diet, research, research, research! If you have health problems, talk with you doctor.